Bazamgull’s Story

“My father died three years ago, and now, I lost five family members in this disaster. It seems my death is better than my life. Now, there is no one to support in the upbringing of my two remaining children or look after their safety while I go out to earn for our meals, clothes, medicines, and other necessities,” shared Bazamgull, 30, resident of Ab Barik Village, Argo, Badakhshan.

“It was around 11:00 a.m. while I was working in the city of Faizabad. I received a phone call from one of the villagers who asked me to come back to the village as soon as possible since my entire family, my home, and my assets were ruined under the debris of a landslide.

“I immediately stopped working and rushed back to my home.” With extreme sorrow Bazamgull expressed, “As I arrived at my village, I was astonished to see that my entire village, my home, everything had disappeared under the mud. I started to ask around about my family; a village member directed me toward two of my children. My two youngest children, my wife, mother, and sister all were under the debris. The villagers had tried their best to save them, but it was impossible for them to rescue my family.”

With tearful eyes Bazamgull spoke about his wife’s bravery, “When the landslide started, my wife instantly led two of our children to safety, but when she returned for our other children, she was buried under the debris along with them.” Bazamgull’s mother also died. “I was informed by the villagers that my mother lost her life; she had been collecting water. I wanted to search for her, but everyone said there is no hope. She was gone.”

Despite his trauma and uncertain future, Bazamgull expressed gratitude to all humanitarian organizations for their assistance including CWS-P/A which provided him mattresses and pillows. “We needed these items to protect us while we sleep. I hope my children will sleep better now.”

In Badakhshan Province, CWS-P/A has distributed 863 non-food item packages (two mattresses and two pillows) to affected families in Argo District and Kishm District. In Argo District, health and hygiene sessions benefited 219 individuals, and 114 hygiene kits have been distributed to 114 women. In Kishm District, 40 hygiene kits were distributed to 40 women, along with health and hygiene sessions which benefited 87 individuals.

CWS-P/A is distributing NFIs to flood and landslide-affected communities in Badakhshan Province with the financial support of DanChurchAid (DCA) and the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR). All organizations are members of the ACT Alliance.